This invention relates to a "leave-on" oxidizing solution for use in the permanent waving ("permiting") of hair and to a process for permanent waving of hair.
Generally, permanent waving of human hair involves a reducing step and an oxidation step. The reducing step involves application of a reducing solution to hair to chemically break sulfur to sulfur or disulfide cystine bonds occurring naturally in human hair. The disulfide cystine bonds in human hair maintain the hair shape or configuration. While the disulfide cystine bonds are broken, the hair can be rearranged into a different configuration. The oxidation step involves application of a neutralizing solution to restore the disulfide bonds in the new rearranged configuration.
A reducing agent in the reducing solution chemically breaks the disulfide bonds in the hair. Examples of reducing agents useful in reducing solutions include cysteamine, esters and salts of thioglycolic acid, cysteine and thiolactic acid. Typical examples of reducing agents and conventional reducing solutions are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,260,054 and 5,332,570.
An oxidizing agent in the neutralizing solution reform the disulfide bonds in their new "curled" formations. Examples of oxidizing agents useful in neutralizing solutions include bromic acid salts, perboric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Typical examples of oxidizing agents and conventional neutralizing solutions are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,277,206; 5,080,890 and 5,051,252.
In traditional permanent waves a conventional neutralizing solution used to rebond keratin disulfides, applied after reduction to rolled hair, is left on the hair for only about five minutes and then is thoroughly rinsed off the hair. It is well known that if a conventional neutralizing solution is left on the hair, it can cause damage to the hair. Damage to the hair is qualitatively seen as hair color lightening; damage to hair is quantitatively seen as an increased amount of cysteic acid. The rinsing of the conventional neutralizing solution off the hair is critical to keep hair damage to a minimum. It would be desirable to provide a new oxidizing solution which can be applied after a reduction step to rolled or unrolled hair and left on the hair without having to rinse the oxidizing solution from the hair and without the oxidizing solution causing damage to the hair.
Under normal circumstances, traditional perms may take from 1 1/2 to 3 hours and follow a strict standard procedure. The process steps of the known permanent wave process include for example:
(1) shampooing hair for about 5 minutes; PA1 (2) wrapping the hair on rods which takes about 30 to 90 minutes; PA1 (3) applying a reducing solution on the wrapped hair and processing for 20 to 40 minutes; PA1 (4) rinsing off the reducing solution for about 5 minutes: PA1 (5) blotting water from the hair on the rods for about 3 to 5 minutes; PA1 (6) applying a neutralizing solution to the hair on the rods and waiting about 5 minutes; PA1 (7) rinsing off the neutralizing solution from the hair for about 5 minutes; and PA1 (8) removing the rods from the hair and styling the hair for about 10 to 30 minutes.
It would be desirable and economically advantageous to a stylist to use a permanent wave process that allows the stylist to complete a permanent wave service with identical curl results as traditional perms in significantly less time. Of course, the more clients a stylist can see in a day, the more money the stylist can make. Thus, there is an incentive for those in the art to continuously seek improvement to the permanent wave process.